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Are you pregnant again after having preeclampsia once already in a previous pregnancy? Post your thoughts/concerns here - there are others who share your feelings. This is also the home of our Bedrest Buddies Support group.

I can't imagine a doctor not giving a referral if you've had problems in the past. Although, to be honest, the OB I had was pretty proactive with me and did what needed to be done, even tho the outcome last time was miserable. I don't blame them at all. Good luck!

Therese Mom to
Jonathan - born 10/4/95 at 28 weeks due to HELLP
Angel in Heaven - Erik 12/20/02 due to placental abruption
And "Baby dot" - EDD 9/11/04!

I had the exact same problem... OB didn't want to refer me until there was just cause, and Peri didn't want to see me until I was referred by the OB. I figured this would be okay until I started showing signs of PE again.

My BP went up a bit as I was making the transition from the first to the second trimester. I was so freaked out about it, and I didn't think my OB was taking it seriously enough. Basically I asked a million questions, bombarded her with things I had learned on this site, and requested to see a Peri again. She consented. I think she knew I wasn't going to calm down until I got a second opinion. I trust my OB, and I know she has my best interests in mind, but I just needed the extra assurance that everything was fine. So I got the referral and the Peri scheduled an appt for me with no problem. And now the Peri wants to follow me through the remainder of the pg too, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen.

Thanks alot! I am definately going to look into it. At my appt today they did blood work so they would have a base line as to what it should be and I will be starting to go every 2 weeks now to keep a closer check on my bp which is starting to rise. My dr said that they normally dont refer until something develops.

I did try to make an appointment with a specialist when I first found out I was pregnant and they said that they will only take referrals so who knows!

Congratulations on your pregnancy and welcome to the Forums! I agree, I'd definitely seek high-risk care. You may find that the high-risk OB co-manages your care along with your regular midwives/drs. Then you get the best of both worlds! As far as the referral process goes, I think it really depends on your insurance, they should have some sort of 800 # that you can call and ask about it, definitely explain your past situation to them.

Here are a couple websites to search for high-risk OBs:www.smfm.org (You can search for high-risk OBs)www.nasshp.org (You can search for high-risk OBs that specialize in hypertension in pregnancy.)

I would definitely see a high-risk doctor if I were you. You can make your regular OB your primary dr and your high-risk doctor can be secondary. But they should work together thoughout your pregnancy. It can't hurt and can only help!

Hi everyone! I havent been on the boards in quite sometime...I am now expecting my 2nd in August and am so nervous about developing preeclampsia again.

I am seeing a practice of midwifes and drs currently. Do you all think I should try and switch to a high risk? I orginally tried to make an appt. but was told I needed a referral to do so. So far I am satisified with my experiences but I'm just not too sure. Last time with my daughter I had military drs so it was horrible to say the least. I just dont want a repeat.